A Day I'll Never Forget

One of my favorite pictures of me and my grandpa :)

Today was special for two different reasons. First, my little sister was baptized this afternoon. I'm so incredibly proud of her. She is growing up to be such a beautiful young woman with a heart of gold. I know I'm biased, but I have the best sister in the world.
Today was also special because it was my grandpa's 90th birthday. As many of you know, my grandpa has had cancer for 2 - 2 1/2 years now. A couple weeks ago, the decision was made to stop treatments. I've never been really close to my grandpa but he has always been there for me. He never missed a swim meet, dance recital, choir concert, or any other event I was involved in. He and my grandma were always there for me. Not only that but he makes THE BEST cookies in the world. About 2 weeks ago, I was able to interview my grandpa for one of my history classes. I had to ask him questions about World War II and his involvement. I learned some pretty cool stuff. He didn't get to serve in the army because he had hearing problems so he stayed home and worked on the family farm. He also worked as a volunteer firefighter and would help put out wild fires. His one brother (he is the youngest of 7 boys) fought in the war, was in France, and was apart of the forces that stormed the beaches in Normandy on D-Day. I think the opportunity to talk to him about this time in American history (also one of my favorite eras) was totally God's work. I saw my grandpa in a completely different light. He was so eager to tell me everything and even had my dad call me the next day because he forgot to tell me something. I'll cherish that conversation and that day for the rest of my life.
However, today was a bittersweet day. While it was special because he turned 90, I know it's probably his last birthday. And that breaks my heart. In the 22 years I've been alive, I don't ever remember a time when my grandpa cried. But today he did. After the baptism service was done, my sister came up to hug him and he said "thank you for doing this on my birthday" and started to cry. I lost it. While he and I haven't been close in ways that most people would consider close, we're close in other ways. We're close in the way that he has always been such a wonderful grandpa and has shown me throughout the years how much he loves me and is proud of me. I wouldn't trade that for the world. My grandpa has also never been the kind to say "I love you" a lot. You know he does but he just never really says it. Lately, he's been saying it all the time. Which makes me feel good but also breaks my heart because he knows that his time is limited.
I'm just thankful to have been blessed with such a wonderful and loving grandpa and will cherish the time we have left together!

Crossfit

So, as some of you already know, today was my first day at Crossfit. I now understand what everyone has been talking about for the last year and a half. After my first day, I already love it. I know it was only my first time, but I felt incredible after leaving. While my arms feel like they might fall off, it's a good hurt. I'm very thankful for a great boyfriend who is an excellent teacher & I can't wait for him to teach me more!

Something Greater Than Myself

So as many of you know, this past Saturday the Epsilon Lambda colony of Alpha Sigma Tau became the Epsilon Lambda chapter. There aren't words to describe how absolutely wonderful this day was. It's so hard to explain in words how wonderful it made me feel. To be apart of something that is greater and bigger than anything I've ever done is a true honor. At the end of our meeting tonight I got a little choked up. The things that used to have little meaning now have a tremendous amount of meaning. It's not that I didn't believe the words or felt like they didn't mean anything, but they mean so much more to me now. It's so hard to put words to it. I love all of my sisters, those in my chapter and those not, so much. It was so wonderful to go through this experience with them and I think I can speak for all of them when I say it was a day we will never forget! :)

Unlikely Inspiration?

When I got home from Carl's last night, I finished watching the Kennedy Center honors program. One of the year's honorees was Paul McCartney of the Beatles. Of course they performed a tribute to him, singing a medley of various Beatles songs. In one of them, The End, there's a line that reads: "The love you make is equal to the love you take." It suddenly hit me that this is so true. If you aren't willing to love the way you want to be loved, then you'll never get it in return. Just thought I'd share that little piece of inspiration. Hope every one has a great New Year on Friday!

Friends

Friends

My mom & me

Carl & I

As some of you know, this week has been hell for me. If it's not one thing, it's another. Monday I got into a small wreck at school. Tuesday I got some not so great news from a professor that could possibly be heartbreaking so I spent almost my whole day worrying about that. On top of that, I couldn't get a hold of the other person involved in my accident so I was really worried that I was gonna get screwed over. Today has been completely jam packed with work and school and tomorrow is going to be even worse. I'm not trying to throw a big pitty party for myself or anything... I just wanted to set up a little picture that goes along with what I'm about to say.

I have the GREATEST family & friends a girl could have. My mom has been my strength this week. She knows me better than anyone else and tells me to take a deep breath when I feel like I'm about to explode. My boyfriend is wonderful and believed in me when I was doubting myself. He reminded me that I'm a strong person and can get through this. My friends have been wonderful as well, offering listening ears if I need to talk and their help. Ashley B. & Will have been especially wonderful this week. I no longer refer to them (and Joel & Conrad for that matter) as friends I met through Carl. I now refer to them as MY friends... which they truly truly are.

So thank you to all of those people who have reminded me that this is merely a bump in the road, that I will get through it, and that the semester is almost over!! :)

Thanksgiving

With Thanksgiving being 2 days away, I wanted to take some time to talk about what I'm thankful for. I'm thankful for my family. If it wasn't for them, I literally probably wouldn't be here today. They have helped me through so much and believed in me when I didn't believe in myself.

I'm thankful for my friends. I don't know what I would've done without my 3 best friends Ashley, Erin, & LeighAnn. I have been friends with Ashley since I was like 3 and even though we've gone through some rough patches, we're better friends now than ever before. Not only are Erin & LeighAnn family, they are also my best friends. They're more like sisters to me than cousins. They have always been so loving and supportive. I'm also thankful for the friends I have met through Carl. Conrad, Ashley, Joel & Will: You guys are some of the most sincere, real people I have ever met. You welcomed me with open arms and I count myself lucky to have become your friend.

Of course I'm thankful for my wonderful boyfriend, Carl. Not only is he my boyfriend but he is also my friend. We get along so well and have so much fun together. He is so supportive of me and always there for me whenever I need him. Not only is he pretty wonderful but his family is awesome. His parents are amazing people and it has been a joy getting to know them over the last year and a half.

I'm also thankful for opportunity. Even though I hate school sometimes, I'm thankful for the opportunity to get a college education and the opportunity to make something of myself. A lot of people don't have that chance and I'm thankful I live in a country where I do. I'm also thankful for the opportunity to have a job. Even though I complain about it sometimes, jobs are hard to find right now and I'm glad I have one.

I'm thankful for Alpha Sigma Tau and my sisters. Joining AST is one of the best decisions I have ever made and I'm so glad I transferred to IUSB and was given the opportunity to be apart of such a wonderful group of women and affiliated with this organization.

Lastly, I'm thankful for my dog Toby. I'm thankful for him for many reasons. No matter how bad of a day I'm having, he is always happy to see me. Whenever I walk in the door, he's the first one there to welcome me home. That might sound corny but I don't care. Haha. I'm also thankful for him because he has taught me a lot and made me reach a new level of responsibility. I'm responsible for a life now and while he may not be my biological child, he is still my son and I am still responsible for taking care of him.


There are a lot of things to be thankful for this year. The Lord has blessed my life in so many ways and I'm forever grateful.

Is Thanksgiving break here yet?

So it's been a while since my last post but this week is already really stressful and writing about it seems to help me some.
I don't know about you all but I'm stressed to the max. I feel like there's so much to do and not enough hours in the day to do it. I'll be so happy when this semester is over and I can have a little time to breathe. I just feel like it's one thing after another. This week is literally the week from hell. Luckily, I had a deadline pushed back which makes it a LITTLE better but not a whole lot. I am thankful that I don't have to work this week. I can't imagine how stressed I would be if I had to work on top of all of this. I'm just trying to get through the week and make it to Friday!